At night, inside the Flying Theatre, the curtains had fallen on the extraordinarily spectacular performance, but the audience members in the auditorium were still discussing animatedly, talking about the breathtaking show they had just witnessed.
Most of the audience members at the scene were talking about how Adele's astonishing dance skills seemed to have improved again. Some audience members were discussing the dance itself, titled 'Crimson Mother', debating its meaning and the highlights of the assassination scene, which they initially thought was an accident but turned out to be part of the dance. Still others were discussing the other unknown dancer who served as a main supporting role. Many were curious about this young dancer who could keep up with Adele's steps, and many felt that such a talented young dancer, chosen by Adele herself to be her partner, had a promising future.
While the audience in the auditorium was buzzing with discussion, in front of the giant screen on the stage, the host once again took the stage to preside, praising the performance that had just concluded.
Behind the giant screen, Adele, still in her bright red dance dress, walked to the side and picked up a small white whetstone knife from the ground. She traced the complex patterns on it, especially staring at the symbols of a circle and an upright triangle, her expression solemn.
'Have you found Maria?' Turning her head, Adele, holding the whetstone knife, asked a theatre staff member behind her. The other person immediately replied.
'We just searched the entire backstage area, but we couldn't find any trace of Maria. We are now searching other parts of the theatre,' said the theatre attendant, dressed in a white shirt and suspenders. He then looked at the whetstone knife in Miss Adele's hand and asked with a hint of worry in his expression.
'Um, Miss Adele, with something like this happening, should we stop the performance immediately?'
'No need,' Adele replied calmly. 'Everyone worked hard and prepared for this performance for a long time. Don't stop just because of something concerning me. The next act is ready to continue. It's fine.'
Adele answered with a calm expression. Hearing Adele's words, the attendant also nodded.
'Yes.'
After responding, the attendant left the stage. Adele, after taking another look at the whetstone knife in her hand, put it away and walked towards the backstage area. The next act was about to begin.
...
In the auditorium, Dorothy had no mind to continue watching the show. She was currently using the wisp of spirits thread left on the Corpse Puppet Maria to sense its location. In her perception, Maria was still within the theatre, outside the main hall, away from the backstage area, somewhere near the auditorium.
'What's going on? The Corpse Puppet stopped moving as soon as it got there? Is the controller of the Corpse Puppet there? Is he doing something to the Corpse Puppet now?'
Dorothy thought this in her heart. In her perception, the Corpse Puppet had been stopped in the same position for several minutes, completely still. Perhaps the hidden manipulator was there.
To prevent Maria's original manipulator from noticing anything unusual, the spirits thread Dorothy left on Maria was extremely fine, too fine to transmit audio-visual information, only capable of sensing location. Therefore, to ascertain the current state of the Corpse Puppet, she quietly opened her magic box and took out a gecko Corpse Puppet from it.
Dorothy controlled the gecko Corpse Puppet to quickly dart out from under the auditorium seats, swiftly leave the hall, and sprint all the way towards the direction where the Corpse Puppet Maria was located.
The gecko Corpse Puppet moved rapidly along the wall of the corridor outside the hall. After a short while, it finally approached Maria's location, using the gecko Corpse Puppet's vision. During this process of approaching, she suddenly heard a piercing scream from ahead.
"Ahhhhh!!"
Hearing this sound, Dorothy paused slightly, then immediately accelerated and rushed towards the source of the scream. She then saw a washroom with its door wide open, and a middle-aged woman slumped in front of the washroom door, her face filled with terror and completely pale.
Seeing this scene, Dorothy felt a slight sense of foreboding. She then continued to control the gecko to crawl forward along the wall, entering the washroom, and saw the scene inside.
Inside the narrow space of the washroom, the walls were stained with scattered bloodstains, and the floor was covered in a pool of blood. In the blood, a figure familiar to Dorothy was lying face down on the ground, her face deathly pale, her eyes wide open, one eye a hollow bloody socket. Several deep bloody gashes were cut across her face, and blood was flowing profusely from her mutilated abdomen. And in front of where her finger pointed, several crooked letters were printed, forming a name that Dorothy recognized.
'That guy... actually pulled this move...' Dorothy thought to herself while using the gecko Corpse Puppet to view the scene before her. Afterwards, Dorothy, who was in the hall, directly stood up from her original seat. Naifnis, who was beside her, saw this and asked curiously.
'What's wrong, Miss Dorothea?'
'Nothing, I'm just going to the washroom. I'll be right back.'
After giving a simple reply to Naifnis, Dorothy quickly walked out of the hall. After pushing open the soundproof door and stepping into the corridor, Dorothy immediately went to a hidden corner, took out her magic box, adjusted the opening, and controlled a figure to crawl out of the magic box.
...
Returning focus to the washroom where Maria 'died', due to the scream of the old woman who discovered the body, many people had already gathered around. These were spectators who had come outside the hall during the intermission. They gathered at the washroom door, and after seeing the scene before them, they couldn't help but cry out in surprise.
These people were not only shocked by the gruesome state of the body in the washroom, but even more so by the death message the body had written before dying—'Adele'.
"Hey... hey... someone's dead, there's a dead person in here!"
"Isn't this the dancer who just performed on stage with Adele? How could she suddenly die here..."
"These blood letters... could it be..."
A group of people stood in panic at the entrance of the bloody washroom. Just as they were at a loss, a calm and deep voice suddenly sounded from behind them.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm."
Hearing this voice, everyone turned to look back. They saw a man walking slowly towards them, his gaze fixed ahead. He wore a dark grey trench coat, a low-brimmed hat, was tall and thin with a hooked nose and deep-set eyes, and held a cane in his hand, his gaze sharp as a torch.
"Unfortunately, it appears a homicide has occurred. I have already notified the theatre staff to come and maintain order and call the police. Please step aside, everyone, and do not tamper with the scene. As the discoverer, please stay over there and do not go anywhere until the police arrive."
The man pointed to the side with the cane in his hand, speaking to the astonished crowd before him. One of them looked at the man and asked in confusion.
"Who are you?"
"Me? My name is Ed, and I am a Detective." Facing the question, Edrick, whom Dorothy was controlling, replied with a smile.
...
At night, outside the Flying Theatre, several carriages came rushing from the distant street. Although the roadside in front of the Flying Theatre was already lined with carriages, these arriving carriages still rushed towards the roadside, ringing bells as they went.
Seeing the carriages rapidly approaching them, the coachmen who were waiting with their stopped carriages initially wanted to shout a couple of times to indicate there was no space and drive the others away. However, when they saw the police badge on the arriving carriages, they were immediately scared and quickly made way, driving their carriages away and leaving the spots for the newly arrived vehicles.
Several carriages marked with police badges stopped steadily at the entrance of the Flying Theatre. Then, several police officers wearing iron helmets and uniforms disembarked. A middle-aged officer with the highest rank walked at the front.
Captain Douglas stood at the entrance of the Flying Theatre. Having rushed here after receiving the report, he glanced at the giant poster hanging above the theatre, taking a look at the beautiful woman printed on it. He then led his subordinates forward. At the main entrance of the theatre, a doorman was already waiting anxiously.
"Did you call the police? Was there a homicide here? Where is the person?"
Seeing the doorman, Captain Douglas asked directly, and the doorman spoke with relief.
"Officer, you're finally here. The scene of the crime is in the washroom on the third-floor corridor. I'll take you there now."
Afterwards, the doorman opened the main door and led Captain Douglas and his group of police subordinates into the theatre. As soon as they entered, they heard the sound of elegant music still echoing through the space. Hearing this sound, Captain Douglas couldn't help but frown.
"What's going on? A homicide has occurred, and you're still not stopping the performance?"
Captain Douglas spoke sternly to the doorman, who replied fearfully.
"Officer, because of a Detective's request... we did not stop the performance. In addition, he also asked us to monitor every corridor facing the windows, saying it was to prevent the murderer from escaping."
"Detective?"
Listening to the doorman's words, Douglas pondered for a moment, then continued speaking.
"Continue to take us there."
Following Douglas's words, the doorman then led them up the stairs, going to the third floor without entering the venue. In a corridor here, he saw several theater staff members already on alert, blocking unrelated people who wanted to pass.
Upon seeing the police, the staff blocking the corridor immediately let them through. Following the doorman's guidance, Douglas came all the way to the entrance of the washroom. At this time, a large number of theater-related personnel had gathered here. Their faces were grim, and several dancers still in costume were quietly sobbing.
"They are inside, Mr."
The doorman pointed to the washroom door and said to Douglas. After instructing his subordinates to take over the security work from the theater staff, Douglas entered the washroom. Upon seeing the floor covered in blood and blood splatters everywhere, his heart tightened. Just as he looked towards the body, he discovered another figure crouching beside it, holding the black necklace worn around the deceased woman's neck, seemingly examining something.
"Who are you, kid! What are you doing! Take your hands off and don't touch things randomly!"
Seeing the figure beside the body, Douglas immediately burst out shouting loudly. After hearing Douglas's words, the figure stood up and said to Douglas with a smile.
"Hello Captain Officer, my name is Ed, and I am a Detective. Since I discovered this homicide relatively early, I took over the area relatively early. I have been conducting preliminary investigations while waiting for your arrival."
The man named Ed took off the white gloves in his hands, walked over and extended his hand to Douglas with a smile, wanting to shake his hand, but Douglas coldly snorted, completely unappreciative.
"Hmph, so you're the Detective they were talking about, kid. A homicide clearly happened, yet you let the theater people continue the performance. What are you trying to do?"
"Of course, it's to prevent the spread of panic, increased rumors, and reduced impact, and incidentally, to prevent the murderer from escaping. It's that simple, Officer." Ed said casually, while Douglas immediately responded.
"How do you know the murderer hasn't escaped?"
"Because there's nowhere to escape. The theater is currently holding a performance. To prevent anyone from sneaking in without a ticket, all doors are guarded. For sound insulation, all windows are locked tight, and only small ventilation windows that a person cannot get through are open.
"Before Captain, I asked all the doormen, and no one has gone out. I also checked all the locked windows, and there was no damage. Therefore, I assert that the murderer is still within this theater, very likely still watching the performance in the audience."
Ed said calmly. After hearing Ed's words, Douglas was slightly taken aback, then continued to speak.
"Even if the murderer is still inside the theater, the performance should be stopped! Monitor and control all the audience. Isn't it dangerous to have such a murderer mixed among the audience? What if he takes the opportunity to attack other unsuspecting innocent people?"
Douglas said with stern words, while Ed continued to answer calmly.
"Monitor and control all the audience? Officer... there are thousands of audience members here. Not to mention the theater staff, even Captain and Captain's subordinates cannot control so many people. Once so many audience members know someone has died and panic ensues, no one can control it, and serious accidents might even occur, leading to terrible consequences. It's better to let them stay quietly for a while longer now, and if we cannot identify the murderer in the short term, then let them go back."
"Then don't tell them the truth."
"Then the truth that is imagined at that time might be even more terrifying..."
Ed said silently. Douglas wanted to continue refuting, but after thinking about it, he felt that what the other party said was indeed reasonable and didn't refute. However, he was still very dissatisfied with this somewhat arrogant kid in front of him. He spoke.
"Alright... I guess what you said makes some sense. But Detective kid, now that we are here, we don't need you here anymore, hurry up and leave."
Douglas said, driving Ed away, but Ed had no intention of leaving. He continued to speak calmly.
"Officer, I believe I can assist you in solving this case."
"Assist us in solving the case? Hmph, on what basis?" Douglas said with a cold snort, and at this moment, a pleasant voice slowly sounded.
"Because he is Detective Ed, who once solved a train murder case in less than one night."
Hearing this voice, everyone looked in the direction of the sound. At the entrance of the washroom, stood a woman in a red dress with long golden hair, beautiful and moving. Everyone present knew her name; she was Adele. Brillez.
Seeing Adele's appearance, everyone's hearts were slightly startled, and an old theater administrator quickly walked out and said.
"Adele... why did you come? Didn't we say that the situation here is very difficult for you..."
"I know, Uncle Jack, but Maria was brutally murdered here. How can I hide?" Adele responded to the old man's words, a hint of sadness revealing in her voice. After seeing Adele, Douglas couldn't help but stare.
"It's Miss Adele, ah... I express my regret for the tragedy that occurred at Captain's performance."
Douglas looked at Adele and immediately said flatteringly, while Adele answered softly.
"Thank you for Captain's kindness, Officer, but what I want to alleviate the tragic sorrow is to catch the real culprit as soon as possible. I have read the newspaper before, and this Mr. Ed seems to be a very capable Detective. Captain might as well let him try to help."
Adele said to Douglas. After listening, Douglas nodded, then looked at Ed again before speaking.
"So, you are the Ed mentioned in the newspaper a few months ago. If what the newspaper said is true, then you should have some capability. Since that's the case, you can watch from the side."
"Thank you Officer, thank you Miss Adele."
Ed thanked Douglas and Adele one by one. When looking at Adele, a slight smile appeared on her lips, while Douglas continued to speak.
"Alright, since you've been conducting preliminary investigations here for so long, what have you found?" Douglas asked Ed, and Ed answered frankly.
"I have found quite a few clues. The deceased is named Maria Dokana, 18 years old, a dancer, and a member of the Flying Dance Troupe of the Soaring Theatre. She had a performance today and danced with Miss Adele on stage not long ago.
"The cause of death can currently be determined as death from severe blood loss due to stab wounds from a small knife. She was stabbed seven times in the abdomen, her cheek was slashed, and one eye was poked out. The murderer's methods were extremely cruel. The body showed no signs of rigor mortis, so the time of death is within one hour."
After speaking, Ed paused slightly. Just as Douglas thought this kid might have some capability, Ed continued to speak.
"Before dying, the deceased seemed to have left a death message in blood, indicating the murderer's name."
"Death message? Why didn't you say so earlier? Isn't it simple if there's a death message? Let me see who the deceased identified as the murderer?"
Listening to Ed's statement, Douglas quickly entered the washroom and examined the scene carefully for the first time. When he saw the blood writing in front of the body, he couldn't help but be stunned.
"Miss Adele..."
After reading the blood writing, Douglas turned around and looked at Adele outside the door with a sharp and serious expression, then continued to speak.
"Miss Maria's death message seems to point to you. Do you have anything to say about this?"